When I was planning my first menu for Café Lota, I wanted it to reflect seasonality. This dish was conceived around that time. During a trip to the local market, I saw ruby-red winter beetroots and was immediately inspired to make my version of Kolkata’s beetroot chop. The famous Kolkata version hides the beetroot inside a coating of mashed potatoes. I didn’t want to do that. Pairing a salty cheese with something sweet like beetroot is a classic move, and I decided to add a bit of heat by spiking it with garam masala.
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Serves
8
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Cook Time
30m
Ingredients
- 400 gm beetroot, peeled and grated
- 150 gm breadcrumbs
- 80 gm peanuts, roasted
- 40 gm coconut, grated
- 30 gm coriander, finely chopped
- 20 gm ginger, chopped
- 1/2 cup softened cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp Bengali garam masala
- 4 green chillies, chopped
Preparation
- Mix garam masala into the cream cheese and refrigerate.
- In a spice grinder, add peanuts, green chillies and ginger. Pulse without water until coarsely ground.
- In a clean bowl, add grated beetroot, peanut mixture and grated coconut. Add breadcrumbs and salt to taste.
- Shape into thick patties and refrigerate for two or more hours.
- When you are ready to serve, heat oil to 180 degree Celsius. Fry each patty for a minute on each side, until crisp on the outside.
- Serve immediately with the spiced cream cheese.
Chef Rahul Dua started his career as a management trainee at the Taj group of hotels in Mumbai. While working for Taj, he completed an Advanced Certification from West London and went on to become the first certified Bordeaux Wine Educator. He then worked at Verre by Gordon Ramsay at The Hilton Dubai, followed by a stint at Gulf Brands International as Wine Manager. After returning to India in 2013, he began his journey as Chef-Partner at Café Lota, the acclaimed regional Indian cuisine restaurant at the National Crafts Museum in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. He is also the co-founder of the specialty Parsi restaurant Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu.
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